The Crossbar Killer
by cgal120
Summary: After an argument with her brother, Amelia runs away to Central Park. During a heartbreaking call with a concerned Arthur, she is abducted by the infamous Crossbar Killer - a man who tortures young women before mutilating and dumping them. Now Arthur has one week to find her before Amelia becomes victim number seven. [Nyotalia, M for torture and other horror/suspense topics]
1. Chapter 1

**The Crossbar Killer**

**Chapter One**

"_Another addition to the gruesome spree of killings that has been happening across the city of New York was discovered today in Central Park. The body of nineteen-year-old Bethany Wilkins was found by dog walkers in the earlier hours Sunday morning. As of yet, the NYPD hasn't given the public a full statement but have issued a warning to be vigilant. It is believed Miss Wilkins is the latest victim of the Crossbar Killer. This killer has been targeting young woman between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. Miss Wilkins is the sixth victim._"

Amelia sighed softly and turned off the TV in the meeting room. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around the large room. It was empty except for her. The meeting of nations hadn't started yet. As the hosting nation, she was obligated to arrive before her colleagues but that was giving her a lot of free time. She was tired. She had spent a lot of her time that day travelling from another state to the meeting building – since the attacks on her city over ten years ago she had been ordered to leave her residence and pick a new state to live in for her own protection. It was annoying to say the least but she was used to it now.

Heaving herself out of her seat, Amelia paced around the room agitatedly. The news report had shook her. All these women going missing only to be found a week later. She wasn't allowed to know the ins and outs of the case, the most she got was from the news reports on the TV. What she did know was each women was abducted from a public area without being seen, held captive for a week where they were tortured until they were eventually killed and dumped in a new area. The next victim was then abducted from an area near the last dump site. She didn't like to think about what those women would be going through. Amelia walked over to the water cooler and got herself a drink. She knew that the killer would be caught soon enough – they almost always were – but she would still have to give a warning to her fellow nations if they weren't already aware of what was happening.

Sipping her water, she took her seat once more and looked over her notes for the meeting. She had sent out a mass email telling the other nations to dress how they felt comfortable. Amelia hated having to dress up formally for meetings that never went anywhere. She leant back in her chair and put her feet up on the table. Her legs crossed at the ankles, Amelia looked at her sneakers and skinny jeans. She was still dressed smartly with a pretty floral t-shirt. She just didn't want to be uncomfortable. It was the middle of October, after all. They could get away with it if they really wanted to.

"You have appalling manners still, I see."

Jumping slightly, Amelia dropped her feet to the floor and turned around in her chair to see who had come into the room. She smiled as Arthur walked across the room and sat down in the chair beside hers. He had followed her suggestion and had foregone his suit in favour of a neat dress shirt, jeans and shoes. Still formal but more casual than his usual meeting get-up.

"Well, I was all alone and bored," Amelia replied. "Besides, it's my turn hosting this stupid meeting so I'll do what I want while I can."

Arthur chuckled. "I thought you would say that."

"You know me too well."

Arthur smiled at her and put his briefcase on the table. "It's a been a while since I've seen you so I don't see how."

"Well, we all know how nosey you are."

"You're nosier than I am," Arthur said, giving her a sideway glance. Amelia caught a faint smirk on his lips. "But I mean it. It really has been a while since I've seen you. As much as you are a large pain in the backside, that doesn't mean that I dislike your company."

"Oh wow, that was very close to a compliment," Amelia grinned.

"It was a compliment," Arthur smiled. He opened his briefcase and started taking out all the pieces he would need for the meeting. Behind them, the other nations started to make their ways into the room to find their seats. Amelia sighed softly and rose from her seat. "Amelia."

"Yeah?" she asked, looking down at him.

"I, uh…" he said. Clearing his throat, Arthur shook his head and smiled at her. "Never mind, it can wait until later."

"Okay, weirdo," Amelia chuckled.

* * *

><p>"Thank you all so much for coming and co-operating," Amelia smiled. The meeting was coming to a close after four hours and two breaks. For the first time, the nations had been dignified in their debates. Even Arthur and Francis hadn't tried to kill each other across the table. Amelia felt more than a little proud of how she had been able to conduct the meeting without needing Ludwig to step in and quiet everyone down. She glanced out the window and saw that late afternoon was starting to kick in, the sun beginning to set and dye the sky a magnitude of pink and red shades.<p>

"There's just one last thing that I have to say before you can all leave," she continued. "It's very important and I'm not sure just how many of you are aware of it. If you are planning on staying in New York for more than a few days then please be careful… We are currently having a very serious problem involving the killing of young women… As of today, this man or woman has now killed six women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four… I give this warning as a precaution as, well… many of us in this room are women physically aged in that demographic… I would hate for any of you to have that fate."

On that solemn note, the muttering nations rose from their seats and began to leave for their hotel rooms across the city. Amelia let out a sigh of relief and ran her fingers through her hair. Staying behind, she began packing away her notes. Arthur walked to her side, the girl looking up at him over her shoulder.

"You had something you wanted to say to me?" she asked.

"Yeah," Arthur nodded. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I was wondering… I'm going to be in the area for a little while… so, uh, would you like to go out for a meal with me tomorrow? Whenever you want. Lunch or dinner. I don't mind… I was just…"

"Arthur, are you asking me out on a date?" Amelia asked, standing up straight. Colour rose in Arthur's cheeks as he looked away from her and over at the window. "You are, aren't you?"

"I guess…"

"We've gone on a couple of dates before, you know," Amelia grinned. "There's no need to be so nervous."

"They weren't exactly the most amazing dates…" Arthur grumbled. He looked down at her and smiled a little. "But you do want to?"

"Yeah, of course," she replied. "I mean, as long as it is tomorrow. Cos I'm spending the rest of the evening with Matt tonight."

"Of course."

"Hmmm, I've not seen him in a while and he's been pretty tense lately," Amelia said. "I'm not sure if it's just with me though… I think he's been going through a rough patch with Maria lately."

"I've not really spoken to him much recently."

"I guess I'll find out tonight," Amelia shrugged. "But he and I have adjoining hotel rooms so I've promised to hang out with him for a bit."

"Okay, but tomorrow? Lunch or dinner?"

"Uh, dinner," Amelia smiled. "Dinner would be lovely. I'll even dress like a girl."

Arthur looked down at her softly. "I think you look beautiful."

Blushing, Amelia picked up her belongings. "I'm staying at The Plaza Hotel. Come by around seven-ish, okay?"

"Okay," Arthur smiled.

* * *

><p>Arthur sat at the head of his double bed at the Four Seasons Hotel, his legs outstretched in front of him. His suitcase was leant up against the beige sofa on the right hand side of the room, the top of it open and some of his clothes hanging out messily. He had his laptop on his lap and the flat-screen TV on playing a random channel he wasn't even paying attention to. Though he had the lights on, the curtains of his room were open giving him amazing views of the city through the large, clear windows.<p>

He wasn't tired. He felt idle but he didn't feel tired. Flicking through various pages on the Internet, Arthur kept himself from sighing as he shut the lid and dumped the device beside him. He flopped back on the bed and put his hands over his face before rolling over and letting his feet fall to the ground. He pushed himself off of the bed and walked over to his suitcase, setting it down properly and opening it fully. Before he did anything else, he picked up the remote control for the TV from the desk near his bed and changed the channel. He found a news station and left it on. A report about the killings Amelia had told them about was playing.

Arthur smiled to himself as he thought about the girl. It had been five hours since he had last saw her. Outside the world was turning the dark blue of early night time and rain was pouring heavily from thick, dark rain clouds. The weather may have been grim but for the first time in ages, Arthur felt as though he was on the right track. He was happy. He took the clothes out of his suitcase and hung them on the hangers provided by the hotel in a wardrobe just opposite the bathroom. He wanted them all to stay neat – he had no idea what he was going to wear on his date just yet, he was still astounded by the sheer fact that he really did have a date with her. He had been right when he had said to her how unsuccessful their previous dates had been – they had gotten closer, that was true, but nothing much had changed between them. They were still in that same place and Arthur wanted more. He wanted to tell how much he cared for her, how the sight of her made his heart skip a beat and all those clichéd emotions she would gag at whenever they watched a cheesy movie together. He enjoyed her company more than he could express and, though he found her annoying every so often, he thought that she was the most interesting person that he had ever met.

"How do I tell her that without looking like an idiot?" he muttered to himself, dumping his shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe. There was a knock on his bedroom door causing him to jolt in surprise. He rolled his eyes at his jumpiness and opened it, looking at Francis with distaste as the Frenchmen leant against the door on the other side of the room. "What?"

"I was wondering if I could come in for a bit," shrugged Francis. "It is boring in my room."

"Why did you rent the room right across the hall from me?"

"Because I knew that it would annoy you," Francis smirked. "And because this is a nice hotel."

"Fine, you can come in for a bit but you had better not trash the place or I'll charge everything to your room."

"Oui, oui, I'll be on my best behaviour," Francis said, walking past the Brit. "Your room is identical to mine."

"Well, they are in the same hotel…" Arthur said, shutting the door behind him. "Stay away from my bed. You may sit on the sofa or the seat by the window so I can throw you out should I need to but you may not touch my bed."

"Are you this demanding with Amelia?" smirked Francis. Arthur raised his eyebrows so he laughed. "I'm kidding." Francis sat down on the sofa and looked up at the TV. "The news?"

"There is honestly nothing else on that I can tolerate," Arthur said, sitting on the small chair beside the window. He leant back and glanced out at the city. "It just had to rain, didn't it?"

"Tomorrow's actually meant to be very nice," Francis said. He leant forwards in leant his arms on his thighs. "But back to Amelia. You finally asked her out to dinner?"

"I did," Arthur said, smiling a little. Though he would never admit it, it was nice to have a normal conversation with Francis from time to time. He could be helpful when he put his mind to it. "I'm taking her out to dinner tomorrow evening."

"Make sure you don't tell that same joke you did last time," Francis said. "That one that made her angry."

"Yeah, I'm avoiding comedy as much as possible," Arthur chuckled. "You and I both know that it's not my forte."

"Make her feel special," Francis smiled. "She's still young. She'll have nerves. If you just make her feel as though she's the only one you see then it'll go well."

"That won't be too difficult," Arthur replied, glancing out the window again. Francis watched and smiled. It seemed Arthur was still young too. Stretching, Francis got to his feet and walked over to the window. "It's grim out there, isn't it?"

"I really wouldn't want to be out there right now, no."

"What time is it?"

"Uh," Francis checked his watch, "It is nearly nine." Arthur nodded. "I'm going to head back to my room. Good luck tomorrow, Arthur. I really do hope things go well."

"Me too…"

As Francis left, Arthur got to his feet to lock the door behind him. He flopped onto his bed and looked at the TV as a repeat of the main story played.

"_…Young girls between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four need to be wary when walking through the city. The killer has been targeting the entire city. Latest information released by the police states that his latest victim, Bethany Wilkins, was discovered in Central Park near the lakeside at Strawberry Fields…_"

It really was a grim story, Arthur thought. Those poor girls being subjected to such torment. He looked round as his phone began to ring, leaning over to his bedside table to pick it up. It was Amelia. Smiling, he hit answer and laid back on his bed.

"Good evening, Amelia," he said. He blinked as he heard sobbing. Alert, he sat upright and focused. "Amelia?"

"_Arthur… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…_"

"Amie, what's the matter? Why are you apologising?" He could hear rain in the background. "What's going on?"

"_I really hurt you back then, didn't I?_"

'Back then'? "Amelia, what are you talking about? What's happened?"

"_Matthew… Matthew really was having a rough time with Maria…_" Amelia sobbed. "_They had a fight the other night and haven't spoken since… but he was angry… I tried to cheer him up… but he snapped… He said such horrible things to me… wouldn't let me leave the room while he shouted at me… He talked about you and how I'd only hurt you again… how I'm a horrible person… He spent three hours pointing out every single one of my flaws… I'm so sorry I hurt you… I really am a horrible person…_"

"You are not a horrible person, Amelia…" Arthur said, getting to his feet. He made his way to the other side of the room and got his shoes. "You have nothing to apologise for. I'm taking you out for a date tomorrow, right? I wouldn't do that if I were mad at you."

"_I'll ruin it… I always ruin it…_" she said, choking on her words. "_I don't deserve any of you… Matthew's right… he's right… I'm vile…_"

"You are not!" Arthur said. Angry, he shoved his feet into his shoes and tied the laces. He was going to have words with Matthew about this. "Where's Matthew now?"

"_He stormed out… I couldn't stay there and wait for him to come back… I ran…_"

"Where are you?"

"_Central Park…_"

Arthur stopped. His heart palpitated for a moment. "Central Park?"

"_Uh huh…_" she sniffed. "_I'm near William Shakespeare… Off East Drive…_"

"I'm coming to find you and you're going to come back to my hotel with me," Arthur said, grabbing his jacket quickly. He was stunned she had gone near there after all the warnings. She must have really been upset if she'd forgotten all of that. "Start making your way back towards the Four Seasons, okay? It's dangerous over there!"

"_Huh?_"

"There were updates on that story, Amie!" He was heading for the door. "That girl was found near the lake at Strawberry Fields in Central Park. Why did you go there?!"

"_I just ran…_" Amelia was really crying. Her breathing was laboured as she tried to talk. Arthur made sure he had his key. "_Arthur… I am really sorry…_"

"Don't be," he said. "I'm coming, okay."

"_I…_" Arthur's hand froze on the doorknob. There was a gasp on the other end of the line, a scream, and sounds of struggling.

"Amie?!" A clattering noise happened that sounded like the phone getting dropped on the ground. The line went dead. "Amie…" Gritting his teeth, Arthur ran out of room and slammed the door behind him. He crossed the hall and banged on Francis' door violently until the Frenchman opened up.

"What is going… Arthur, what's wrong?"

"Amelia…" Arthur choked. He could barely get his words out. He was frightened. "Amelia… She… Help me, please… There's no time to lose! She was in Central Park and…"

"Merde," Francis cursed, running to grab his coat and keys. He locked his door behind him and the pair ran. Arthur kept trying Amelia's but kept reaching her voicemail. They left the building and ran across the street, entering the park and not ceasing in their pace until their ribs were sore. They were near the ice rink.

"Arthur…" Francis panted. "Where did you say she was?"

"She said she was near William Shakespeare…" Arthur coughed, pointing ahead. "It's the flowerbed area with all the statues… She showed me it a while ago…"

Nodding, Francis ran with him until they reached the area. No one was around. "Amelia?!" shouted the older man, looking around. Arthur walked around, trying to find any sign of her. He dialed her number once more and listened. Faintly, he could hear her ringtone through the heavy rainfall. He followed the sound to the foot of the Shakespeare statue where he found her phone. There was a crack on the screen but there was his name and photo as his phone continued to try and connect with hers. He crouched down and picked it up, putting his phone away. He swiped the screen and blinked as the Memo pad opened. Glancing over his shoulder as Francis joined him, Arthur read. Both men's stomachs churned.

'_One week. You have one week to solve my clues or she dies. Follow the address if you want to see her, but you will not like what you find. – the Crossbar Killer.'_

* * *

><p><strong>Two stories in one day.<strong>

**Well, welcome to my new story! It's an idea that popped into my head that I really liked and I was following some advice I'd read from an author whose stories are so far away from this concept it's funny. Write it down before it goes away or it will never happen.**

**I really hope you guys get on board with this because it's going to be a big one! Lots of characters, back stories/flashbacks, horror, suspense and of course a touch of romance here and there. **

**It's in honour of my first full non-themed fan fiction – Lifeline – nearly turning four soon. So another suspense without the dumbness that inexperience back then gave me. This time it's serious!**

**Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Crossbar Killer**

**Chapter Two**

"Arthur, what are we going to do?" asked Francis. The rain was starting to pour heavier, both nations thoroughly soaked through to their skins. Arthur was staring at the phone in his hands, reading and re-reading that same message over and over again. He didn't want to believe that this was really happening, that Amelia really was being held by that deranged killer. He had no idea what state the bodies of the other girls had been found in and he didn't want to find out with Amelia as the evidence. His hand clenched tightly to the phone as he grit his teeth. Francis put his hand on his arm and drew him back from his thoughts.

"What are we going to do?" muttered Arthur, thinking over Francis' question. What were they going to do? What could they do? The police had proven their incompetence with the case so far and Arthur didn't want to waste any time that could be spent trying to find her. He looked up at Francis with steeled eyes and stood up straight. He wasn't going to break yet. Amelia needed him. "We're going to go and find Matthew. We're going to access a computer and check out the link that this bastard has left us. Then we're going to figure out what the hell is going on and where Amelia has been taken. What we're going to do is find her, Francis."

"But what about the police?" Francis said, walking alongside him as the Brit picked up a quick pace back out of the park. It was eerie and horrid out there. Francis huddled further into his jacket. "We need to tell them that the killer has struck again, do we not?"

"What are we going to tell them?" Arthur said, keeping his eyes firmly ahead. "Another girl has been taken. Our friend has been taken. I heard her get taken. We got given this. They'll take the phone away as evidence and then we'll be shut out of the investigation just as the other families were. But they will make the same progress as it's become routine. Clearly, they've been spending the time trying to figure out whatever clues get sent without upsetting the families by saying their daughter or mother or sister has been drawn into some sick game. But they are failing and those girls have died because of it. I am not letting Amelia become the next victim."

"We could say who we are!"

"They won't believe us and do you really think your president, my prime minister and Amelia's president have enough time to come along and vouch for us? No! We have no proof of who we are! We have driver's licenses that say we're twenty-three and twenty-six year old foreigners, not thousand-odd year old personifications of nations! The things protecting our identities are threatening Amelia's life right now. We've got to go back to the past now, Francis. We have no choice. We have to go back to the days we fended for ourselves. It's the only way to get her back."

Trailing beside him, Francis swallowed thickly before nodding. "You're right… Of course, you're right… But we don't exactly have the resources to defend ourselves should things go south…"

"They've already gone south."

"South-er, then…" Francis said. They exited the park and stood by a main road. Cars were zooming in all directions, people crossing when stop lights made it safe. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought. Arthur looked at him.

"Francis?"

"You go to Amelia's hotel," he said. "Matthew is staying in the room beside hers."

"I know," Arthur said. "The Plaza Hotel. I don't know which room though."

"You'll have to ask at the desk or call Matthew and see where he is when you're in the dry."

"What are you going to do?"

"Amelia mentioned to me during our break today that she was going to be out shopping with the Italian sisters tomorrow and having lunch with them. Ludwig and Antonio were going to be joining Maria and I at a film… Maria wanted to see Matthew but knew she had to give him time to calm down…" Francis paused to sigh. "It was not her fault, she was hyper and…"

"Francis, the point?"

"Oui, oui, of course," he said, shaking his head. "I apologise… The point is, we are not just two people. Three whenever we find Matthew. We have them too and Lovina cares very much for Amelia. Felicia too. They may be cowardly at times but they are brilliantly smart. As are the others. You and I both know how intelligent Ludwig is. I shall go to their hotel and find them. Let them know what's going on and bring them to our hotel."

"Good plan," Arthur nodded. "Wait in your room if Matthew and I haven't arrived yet. We can use my computer to access this link and see what the fuck is going on."

Francis nodded and turned on his heal, running in the opposite direction. Arthur watched him go before turning and running himself. He kept the phone gripped tightly in his hand. It was his only connection to her at that moment – he wasn't going to let it go. He waited agitatedly at a crossing and waited for the pedestrian light to turn green before sprinting across the street. He dodged around people and animals, not pausing to listen to the angry New Yorkers screaming at him as he shoved them out of his way. His heart was beating a mile a minute, slowly making its way up into his throat again. He felt ill but knew that he couldn't let himself fall apart. Not until Amelia was safely by his side again.

As he ran, Arthur kept going over the events of that evening. Amelia was strong and could easily defend herself. The only times she ever really failed were when she was taken off guard or by surprise. That had happened that evening. He didn't like to think about what could be happening to her. What that man could be doing to her churned his stomach. He burned with fury at the thought of that bastard touching her in any which way.

Turning a final corner and nursing the second stitch in his side of the day, Arthur looked up at the beautiful Plaza Hotel and made his way towards the entrance. He hardly looked the part of someone who 'belonged' in a five star hotel. But then again, no one else did either with how badly the storm was playing up. He felt the eyes of the doorman piercing through him as he entered through the large front door as if daring him to even think of dripping onto the shiny floors. What else was he going to do? Wait to dry off before going inside? Shooting the man a look, Arthur walked past him and shook his head. He felt a little warmer now he was inside – a mid-October storm was always terrible to get caught in and the hotel knew it by heating the building so it felt homely as well as glamourous. The young woman behind the front desk looked up at him uncertainly as he stepped in front of her. Arthur tried to flash her his most charming smile. It seemed to work.

"I'm sorry, Miss," he said. "I know I must be making an awful mess of your lobby…"

"O-Oh, no matter," the girl said. Arthur was playing around with his English Gentleman routine. "Can I help you? Have you a room reserved?"

"No, no, I'm looking for my friend," Arthur said. "He's meant to be staying here in a room adjacent to his sisters… A Mister Williams and Miss Jones. Matthew and Amelia."

"I can't give out information like that… I'm sorry… Client confidentiality," frowned the girl. She looked genuinely sad to say it. Arthur, though annoyed, admired her for sticking to her rules. "You're more than welcome to stay in the lobby for a little while to wait for them though. I'll let security know that I gave you permission but you will have to leave when they say time's up…"

"That would be most kind of…" Arthur trailed off when he saw something catch his eye. It was a reflection in the mirror near the door. He turned around. The door was just closing and walking towards the elevator was Matthew. Arthur smiled at the girl. "No need, I've found him. Thank you!"

"My pleasure," said the girl, watching him as he ran after Matthew.

Arthur reached him as he pressed the button to call the lift down. He grabbed hold of his jacket and spun him round, the taller boy yelping in shock and flailing away from him. When he saw who it was, he blanched but calmed.

"Arthur?"

"Why the bloody hell did you do that to her?!" snapped Arthur. Matthew grimaced.

"She told you what happened… Where is she then? Run away to you?"

"No, Matthew… I don't know where she is…"

"What?" Matthew blinked. He took in Arthur's demeanour and frowned. "Arthur, what's going on? Did I upset her that much…? I didn't mean to! I just snapped! I didn't mean what I said… Where is she…? I want to apologise…"

"I just said I don't know where she is, Matthew…" Arthur said. He looked up at him. "Amelia… Amelia was deeply hurt by what you did. She called me an hour ago…" One hour… One hour gone… "She was crying and she was outside and I found out she had gone to Central Park."

"She… Wasn't that where…"

"She didn't realise she'd gone there until she saw a statue of William Shakespeare… And that's when she got kidnapped."

"What? No… No, that can't true… No…"

"Francis and I went to the park to look for her and all we found was this…" he held out Amelia's cracked phone. Matthew took it. Reaching over, Arthur swiped it unlocked and showed the message. Matthew kept shaking his head.

"No… No. No. No. No. No!" he cried. Behind him the lift bell rang. He glanced over his shoulder.

"She's not up there, Matthew."

"This is all my fault…" Matthew muttered, rubbing his forehead. Arthur took the phone from him. As much as he wanted to blame Matthew, he couldn't. No one could have known this was going to happen. "What are we gonna do?"

"We're going to find her, Matthew," Arthur said. "That's what we're going to do."

"Okay."

"We have to go back to my hotel room and use my computer to look at the link in this message," Arthur explained. Matthew nodded and walked with him. "Don't beat yourself up too much about this, Matthew… We're going to get her back and you can apologise to her then."

"If she'll talk to me."

"She will."

"What are we going to do then? I mean, do you even know what that link is?"

"No, that's why we have to get back to my room and find out. Francis is going to meet us there with Lovina, Felicia, Ludwig, Maria and Antonio. Hopefully, they're going to help us."

"Maria…?"

"She wants to see you, Matt," Arthur sighed. "She was avoiding you so that you could calm down…"

"Really?"

"She didn't want to upset you anymore than you already were…"

"And then I took it out on Amelia…"

"Matt, you need to let this go for the time being. Amelia's life is at stake here. We can't wallow over what's happened; we have to focus on what is happening right now and make sure that the fate of the other girls doesn't fall upon Amelia."

"You're right…" Matthew said. He squinted through his glasses as the rain splashed against them. He could barely see; it was so dark despite all the lights of the buildings, the rain obscuring every last little detail. He didn't like thinking of his sister our there alone, frightened, hurt or upset. He didn't like to think of it being his fault. But Arthur was right. He needed to focus. His little sister needed him and he was going to do everything in his power to get her back again. Following Arthur down the street, Matthew held onto the sleeve of his jacket quickly. Arthur glanced over his shoulder and saw the state the boy was in so slowed his pace ever so slightly and let him keep old of his jacket. Acting as his guide, Arthur navigated the streets as quick as he could and managed to get back inside his own hotel. They walked over to the elevator but diverted to the stairs, running up the few flights and down the corridor towards Arthur's room. They could see that Francis' door was open and at the sound of their footsteps, Lovina hurried out of the room and looked at them with fright in her eyes. The look on her face was an expression of deep sadness, a question lingering and begging to be answered.

Was it true?

Arthur frowned sadly and unlocked his door. Lovina covered her mouth and glanced back at the rest of the group as they left Francis' room and migrated into Arthur's. Not focusing on where anyone was going, Arthur made his way over to his bed and picked up his laptop. It seemed like a lifetime ago he had been playing around with it thinking about his upcoming date with Amelia. He placed it on the desk so that everyone could see it, taking the seat beside it and typing in his password.

"I can't believe this is really happening…" Felicia said, sitting down on the sofa beside Antonio. The Spaniard nodded his agreement, glancing at Lovina as she paced around the room.

"We'll get her back," said Maria. She looked up at Matthew as she said it, blinking as she was engulfed in a hug. She held him tightly, closing her red eyes and running her fingers through Matthew's hair soothingly. "It's okay… It's okay…"

"Francis told us what happened," Ludwig said, sitting forwards in the seat beside the window. He glanced over his shoulder at the city beyond the glass. "She could be anywhere out there…"

"We need to narrow down the possibilities then," Antonio said. "We all know that we're not immortal. Our lives are just extended… We can be killed. It takes a lot but it can happen… The nations before us proved that."

"Grandpa…" Felicia sniffed.

"And from what they've been reporting, this arsehole is every bit as sadistic and psychotic as you would imagine. He will likely do whatever to find out how to kill her and take pleasure in it," Arthur said. He loaded a browser and forwarded the message to himself in an email. Once it had arrived on his screen, he clicked the link and waited for it to load in the browser. He frowned as it finally loaded, double checking the address and finding that all access to anything but that one page was blocked, hidden or simply unavailable.

"What the fuck is that…?" muttered Lovina, moving over to look at the screen over Arthur's shoulder. The others moved over to get a better look too. Everyone fell silent.

"Amelia…"

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for the support you guys have been showing this already. I hope I don't disappoint.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**The Crossbar Killer**

**Chapter Three**

The air around her smelt of blood and sweat and faeces. Amelia gagged as the taste of the pungent air hit the back of her throat, coughing and spluttering as she spat and tried to get away. But the smell was everywhere, all consuming and ever present, swarming around her like a dark blanket. Fighting against her sudden urge to vomit, Amelia felt a jolt as she remembered what had happened to her. Her eyes shot open and she tried to make out wherever she was but the light was dim.

She focused on the area around her. There were large wooden fences up surrounding her, a gate right in front of her. She came to the conclusion she was in some sort of paddock. The only thing that made her think otherwise was the omnipresent darkness that was suffocating the surrounding area. The light hanging above her head was flicking and dying, like it needed its single light bulb changed very soon. She could make out some windows on the very far side of the room, the city landscape just in view but too far away for her to still be directly inside the city. Wherever that man had taken her, he had the capability to travel distances. On the floor, strings of hay stuck around like gummy sweets melted in the sun on a concrete floor. She knew that the man wouldn't have had the time to clean up, not when his most recent victim had only just been found.

The word 'victim' screamed through her mind, startling her back into reality. She was in grave danger. She knew she was. No matter how well she could fight, no matter how many wars she'd been through, she was still in danger. Nations were not immortal. Life was an extension of the success of their homelands – she had taken the place of her mother and some other unfortunate child would take her place should destiny feel that her time as a nation was at its end. She gulp. She didn't want to go like this. Looking down at herself, Amelia blanched.

The man had taken most of her clothes. She was barefoot, the only piece of clothing on the lower half of her body was her underwear. Her top half was still clothed in her bra and a tank top. But that was it. She felt exposed and nauseas. Had he already done something to her? How long had she been unconscious? Did anyone know she was missing? Would they be able to get to her in time before she too was another body in the woods?

It was then that she noticed the little additions that had been added to her outfit. She questioned why she hadn't noticed them earlier, but put it down to the enormous amount of stress she was feeling. Around her ankles were cuffs linked together by a short chain, the same but with a smaller chain was on her wrists. She cursed herself and her inability to keep her emotions in check. If she had just gone to Arthur instead of calling him then she wouldn't be in that mess! If she had only stayed in her room she wouldn't be in that mess! If she hadn't managed to piss off Matthew she wouldn't be in that mess!

Arthur…

Matthew…

She'd been on the phone with Arthur when the man took her. Her phone! Did he know? Would he be able to find her? Did he even care enough to try after all she'd done? Frustrated and frightened, Amelia tried to find the energy to sit up but her whole body felt heavy. She thought of her brother. She thought of all the things he had said to her and wondered whether he would care if her name was plastered all over the news.

_The Crossbar Killer has struck again_, the report might say. _In the early hours of Sunday morning, dog walkers discovered the mutilated remains of nineteen year old Amelia Jones. The young woman had been missing for a week before her body was discovered in Central Park. This is the seventh victim in this brutal killing spree._

"God, I'm morbid…" she muttered to herself, coughing as the taste got into her mouth again. "Thinking of all the details before the worst has even happened… Fuck…"

"It's usually a lot longer before the girls start talking to themselves."

Amelia jumped and looked up as the gate creaked open. Still in his mask, the man stepped into the paddock and locked the gate behind him. Amelia tried to look threatening from the floor but knew she must have simply looked pathetic. The man had a knife in his hand and a bottle of vinegar. In the corner of the paddock, Amelia realised there were large bags of salt, a chair and various other tools she didn't want to look at. Above her hang a large hook on a chain. She remained silent.

"Oh, was it a private conversation?" asked the man, a smirk on the lips she could only just see. From that at least she could see he was white. One little detail to lock away for if she could ever escape. She just needed that mask gone and she'd have a full face. She could describe him. "Come on, babe. I can't have broken you already! I know you was upset when I showed up but come on! I didn't peg you to be a pussy!"

"Go fuck yourself," Amelia spat.

The man chuckled grimly and crouched down beside her. Amelia flinched away from him as he lightly trailed the top of his blade down the side of her body and over the front of her panties. "I'd be careful what you say to me. I might take it as a suggestion."

"Who are you?"

"Don't understand the concept of a mask, huh?"

Amelia glowered. "Let me go. Now."

"Hmm. You really are a tough one. The other girls were crying at this point. Haven't seen so much as a single tear from you yet. Must have been a bad break up to get you so worked up _before_ I got ya."

"It wasn't a break up."

"Sure, sweetheart. Whatever you say. You dames are all the same."

Amelia frowned. "What do you mean?"

The man stood up tall and turned away from her. His arms opened wide and theatrically, like an actor taking centre stage at the beginning of a play. He oozed confidence which made Amelia shrink a little. This man was not afraid to go the extra mile, it seemed. "No matter, no matter," he said, his deep voice booming across the room. Amelia now knew that it was fairly large as the echoes rattled for a while. She daren't imagine what was on the other side of the darkness. "No matter. You may call me, Crossbar, sweetheart. I'm intrigued by you. I've seen you around plenty of times. With that weird group of friends of yours. All races. All walks of life. And you don't even look like you're outta school yet! This is just a much a test for them as it is to test your endurance."

"Huh…?"

Crossbar nodded upwards and Amelia dared a glance over her shoulder. Through the gloom she could make out a red flashing light.

"A… A camera?"

"A camera." Crossbar smirked again. "Set up to an untraceable network on which your friends can see you at this very moment!"

"They can see me?"

"And hear you depending on their ability to turn up the volume."

"You sick son of a…"

"Uh uh uh," he said, brandishing the knife with a flash. Amelia silenced. "I'll be setting them clues. They have a week to figure them out or the only thing they'll be discovering is your body in tatters in the city. It may be in the park, it may be near a hotel, it could be anywhere. That week also depends on how long you're able to endure my… routines."

"I'm a lot tougher than I look…"

"And I'm sure they're all a lot smarter than they look," Crossbar said dismissively. "But let's face it; you're seventh in line, babe. The other girls had the same treatment and some didn't even last a week. You may survive the week, but if they haven't found you by the end of the final evening. They'll be finding you in the morning. And you won't be talkative."

Amelia shuddered. She yelped as she was thrust onto her back. Crossbar towered over her and held the blade near her tanned skin. Struggling, she screamed as he stabbed into the floor beside her head. She froze and looked up at him with wide terrified eyes. She couldn't think of any words. She could only just remember to breathe. His breath was blowing across her and he smelt of decay.

"They're going to sit and watch while you scream, babe," Crossbar smirked. "Welcome to night one."

Amelia was confused when he got off her and walked to the other side of the room. She blinked as he took the bottle of vinegar and opened it, pouring half the contents over his knife as he joined her on the floor. With a grin of sharp white teeth at the camera, he sliced carefully into Amelia's bicep. As the blade cut, the vinegar seeped into the wound. Amelia grit her teeth and tried not to cry out but soon he was cutting methodically down both her arms, across her chest, along her flat stomach which he exposed with a feral grin, and down her legs. Her voice was starting to get hoarse but he was only encouraged more. He poured the last of the bottle over her cuts, some shallow and some deep, causing her to howl in agony.

"Ha, I'm not even done yet," he laughed, walking to the corner of the paddock and producing one of the large salt bags she'd seen earlier. Amelia's damp eyes widened as he cut open the top and proceeded to pour the contents over her body from her chest to her toes. Whenever she had heard the expression 'salt in a wound', Amelia had never thought much of it. Now she understood. As the salt attacked the raw skin exposed through the slices along her body, she couldn't help out but let out a primeval scream that echoed throughout the room. Her body went tense as she tried to fight the pain, but the salt was everywhere and she couldn't stand it. Crossbar laughed.

"See you later," he said, walking away from her. He unlocked the gate, stepped out and relocked it again. Amelia didn't know where he was going. She couldn't even move to look. The more she moved the more the salt shredded into her. She felt tears leave her eyes before she could stop them and choked on a sob. She screamed out.

"HELP ME! PLEASE! PLEASE HELP ME!"

She screamed until all she could do was cough. She wanted to pass out, for her body to be merciful to her, but all she got was more pain.

* * *

><p>Arthur stared at the screen in front of him, aware of the others around him all glued to the spot in shock. He looked at Amelia's pain contorted in agony. His hands balled into fists, fury bubbled through his veins. Whoever this man was, he was going to find him. He was going to find him and he was going to kill him.<p>

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head to see Francis looking at him sadly. He knew he must have looked angry but he couldn't change that. He _was_ angry. He was furious and sickened and all he wanted was to get Amelia away from that place and back where she belonged. He didn't even know where that was... A small voice in the back of his mind wanted it to be by his side but he squashed that for the moment and walked away from the monitor. He paced around the room as the other moved away too. Felicia turned the volume down a little. It was a little helpful but Amelia sobs could still be heard through the speakers and Arthur had to close his eyes to keep himself from smashing the screen.

"That was… that was absolutely disgusting…" Lovina muttered. She sat down on the sofa, her eyes fixated on the floor and her hand partially covering her mouth. She shook her head. "I can't believe someone would do that to her…"

"I can't believe someone would do that to anyone…" Maria said. "But we've all been alive long enough to know that this world is full of fucked up people… What we have to do is focus on finding her."

"He said that he'd been giving us clues but so far there has only been the link to that website and a message to hurry," Arthur said, keeping his back to the monitor. He couldn't look at her suffer more. Her cries were breaking him already and he needed to remain strong for her sake. "How is he going to…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Amelia phone rang in his pocket. He jumped and finally turned around to face the others as he pulled it out. There was a message on the screen but the number was withheld. Arthur frowned. This guy was too good at covering his tracks. He swiped the screen and loaded the message, reading aloud for everyone to hear:

"_From where she fled turn left then right,_

_ You'll see your target dressed like night, _

_ To save your girl, go help another,_

_ Earn forgiveness, Older Brother_."

Matthew went pale. "W… What the… But didn't he say on there…?"

"He's messing with us," Ludwig said, staring out the window. In the distance, the sun was beginning to rise. "He wanted to throw us off one scent so he could torture us with another."

"How does he know she has an older brother?" asked Antonio. "If he thought she was an ordinary girl or just found her in the park at the right moment…"

"He's smart," Arthur said. "He knows more than he's letting on. He's been targeting Amelia for a while now it seems. He knows you, Matthew, and he knows what you did this evening. He's trying to break you."

"Well, he's doing a fucking good job…"

"Don't let him," Francis said. "We need to figure out this clue."

"It doesn't really seem that hard to me," Felicia said. The others looked at her. "What? I'm not a complete moron… I may not have common sense but that doesn't mean I'm stupid!"

"What do you think then?" asked Arthur.

"Well… You said that she ran away from her hotel before she got taken," Felicia explained. "So _from where she fled_ should mean her hotel. We take a left from there and then a right. Then we find someone dressed in black or dark or stars or something like that. By the sounds of it, this person may well be a girl. We help her and get the next clue… Hopefully."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Arthur said, smiling a little. It didn't feel natural in that situation but Felicia had to be right. He knew she had to be.

"We can't all go, though…" Lovina said. "A) it'll look suspicious and B) someone needs to be here to keep an eye on her on the monitor… What if that guy comes back earlier? What if he hurts her more or gives a clue on camera? Someone needs to be here…"

"I'll go," Matthew said. "I have to. That clue was clearly I message I needed to go. I need to redeem myself to her."

"I'm going too," Arthur said. "I'm not resting until I find her."

"Look, we may as well split this group on half," Maria said. "Matt, Arthur, Lovi and I will go out to sort this clue. Francis, Antonio, Ludwig and Felicia will stay here to man the monitor and keep us informed. An even team to get this all sorted."

"I'm in," Lovina said, getting to her feet. Reluctantly, Antonio let her go. She could see his discontent for that part of the plan already. "I'm not going to let him get away with this, Toni. He's not taking me and he's giving her back. I can't sit back and do nothing."

"I know… I'm not stopping you… Just be careful, okay?"

"We all will be," Arthur said, getting his jacket. Making sure he had Amelia's phone as well as his own, he led his small team out of the room to start their hunt for answers.

* * *

><p><strong>Whoopsies! Long delay but I've had a tough few weeks so I'm sorry.<strong>

**I'm glad you guys have been interested in this story though! See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Crossbar Killer**

**Chapter Four**

As Arthur stepped out into the cool evening air, he had to hold his coat tighter around himself as the chill instantly caught at his skin. He glanced back at the small group that followed him out of the building but waited barely a second before setting off towards the hotel Amelia had told him she was staying in. All around him, the city was getting on with its usual routine – the people were barely aware of the panic that they were all going through at that moment despite the coverage that the other victims' deaths on the news. Even as they passed a store window, the TVs inside were alive with those very reports being shown to onlookers all muttering about the poor families involved or speculating just what those girls had been doing at the time to get themselves into that kind of situation.

It made Arthur feel sick whenever he heard those thoughts leave the mouths of the people around him. How could they possibly think that those girls had _wanted_ that to happen to them? He knew in his guts that there was more to this Crossbar Killer than what was being revealed so far – those other girls, those poor unfortunates who had been held captive before Amelia, had clearly just been the practice rounds. This man had been watching Amelia for quite some time to know who was in her circle of friends, where she would go to think, what hotel she would stay in. This killer had been practicing his 'skills' for a mere month and a half, but to know that much about Amelia he had to have been watching her longer than that. It couldn't have just been New York he had seen her in. She hadn't been back in the city long enough to know her established groups, hang outs and everything else he seemed to know.

There was more to this man.

Arthur turned the corner and ran across the road, hopping around a taxi which beeped at him furiously. He ignored it and continued walking at a fast pace as his feet hit the pavement again – he was only a block away from the hotel. Music was blaring from a shop nearby; an up-beat tune so contrasting to the situation that Arthur felt a little out of sorts for a moment. A hand grabbed at his elbow causing him to jump. He turned sharply but froze when his locked eyes with Lovina. The younger looked up with wide olive eyes and an expression that clearly showed her concern. Arthur let himself relax but Lovina's hand remained clutched to the fabric of his coat sleeve. For a reason he couldn't understand, Arthur found it a small comfort.

"Slow down…" Lovina said softly. "We're scared too, Arthur, but we need to pace ourselves so we don't fuck up. It's not just speed that we need - it's patience and clear thinking logic we need too. If we dive into this headfirst and get this wrong then she will… I don't even want to think about what will happen to her."

"I know…" Arthur sighed. "I know. I just want to get her home safe."

"We all know what it's like to go through traumatic events… Even she does," Lovina said. "I dare say she may know more than she lets on. But those events were all between us. Between nations… But this is something different. I don't know any other nation who's been kidnapped by one of their own people. That's why it's important we keep calm and do this right first time."

Arthur nodded and looked over his shoulder. The corner they needed to turn to get onto the street the hotel was on was just up the street. Lovina looked in the same direction then turned to Matthew who was stood near a newsstand with Maria, both peering at a newspaper. Glancing at one another, Lovina and Arthur wandered over to them and glanced at the paper too. Their blood ran cold at the headline:

**FINAL HOURS OF CROSSBAR VICTIMS**

"What the hell do they mean by that?" Lovina muttered. Maria turned away from the paper and shuddered but Matthew continued to read, his knuckles turning white from how tightly he was gripping the paper. "Maria…? Matthew…? What does it say?"

"Maria, tell us!" Arthur said.

"They… Fuck, they were describing the damage done to the girls that bastard's killed so far," she said, shaking her head. "Seems there's a mole in the police and they blabbed about the actual state of the girls when they were found and what they believe might have happened to them during the last few hours of their lives from the freshest injuries…"

"Do we want to know what happened?" Lovina asked.

"Well… It seems each victim had something different done to them… Gruesome shit… Luckily there was no… None of them were, you know, forced or anything…"

"A small mercy, I suppose…"

"Doesn't excuse the rest of their trauma though."

"Let's just get going," Matthew said, putting the paper back down on the stand. He didn't even glance at the man watching him from behind the counter, the others choosing to ignore his irritated glare as they hurried down the street and round the corner to the hotel. They stopped outside the entrance and took a breather. "Okay, so what was the first part of the instruction again?"

"_From where she fled turn left then right_," recited Maria. Looking around, she rocked on the balls of her feet, stuffing her cold hands into her coat pockets. "We came in from the right so at least we don't have to back track… Um… So it looks like we go over to… Shit…"

"What?" asked Lovina.

"Left takes us down along 59th Street, right then takes us into Central Park."

"That mother-"

"Of course… Get us to go back to the place where she was taken from us," Arthur said, his hands balling into fists.

"Only problem is the next bit… _You'll see your target dressed like night_," Maria said. "How are we meant to find one person dressed in black in a huge park. At fucking dawn."

"They'll be near the way we have to get in," Arthur said. He was resisting the urge to yawn – he was so very tired but he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep knowing Amelia was in danger. He could already feel the bags forming underneath is eyes. "He wouldn't send us somewhere that size without thinking it through. Everything so far has been planned to the smallest detail. This won't be much different."

"True but still!"

"Let's just get into the park and look," Arthur said. "We have to try!"

Maria didn't look happy but she nodded and made her way with the others along the street and across the road. Matthew held her hand as they got closer to the park's entrance, a gesture that she appreciated. She wouldn't admit that she was scared to enter the park given the current circumstances, but she really was frightened. Her ego was getting in the way of her common sense as usual though, so she gave Matthew's hand a small squeeze to reassure him more than herself and walked along the path. She glanced to her right at Lovina who was sticking close to Arthur – the Brit was staying close to her, making sure to keep an eye on everyone that got anywhere near her. Maria knew what was at stake but still couldn't help the twinge of annoyance at how he and Matthew were treating she and Lovina – they may have been the prime targets for this sadistic bastard but that didn't mean that they would get caught too.

_Then again_, she thought, _Amelia is ten times as strong as both of us combined and she got captured…_

Hiding that thought from Matthew, she looked around the park and tried to find whoever it was they needed to get in contact with.

* * *

><p>Twitching on the ground, Amelia had barely slept. The salt was still digging against the exposed raw skin from all the cuts on her body. The one small mercy was that she was no longer bleeding and could feel the wounds healing already. The blood was clotting but it was holding on the salt. With a hiss, she tried to sit up but her energy was so depleted that she could barely move without pain shooting through various parts of her body. Amelia finally opened her tired eyes and winced as they rested on the flickering lightbulb above her. As soon as her eyes had adjusted to the darkness again, she grit her teeth and pushed herself to sit up.<p>

The world around her was deathly silent. She didn't like it. Nothing was moving. Not even the building. In every building she had ever entered, she could always here the foundations moving, creaking and making noises that frightened her and made her think of all the ghost stories she had ever read. But this place was holding an even more frightening sound. Silence. There was absolutely no sound apart from the scraping of the chains binding her to her prison scraping along the floor with each movement she made.

Coughing to clear her throat, Amelia suddenly became aware of how thirsty she was. Her throat felt raw from all the screaming she had done. She didn't know how long she had been there – the sun was starting to rise outside the dirty windows, but all she could see was the changing colours. There was nothing out there to give her any signal as to where this building was located…

Shifting onto her knees, Amelia decided to get a better look around the room now that more light was starting to come in. The new light was not much help though as the rest of the room was shrouded in such a dense darkness that she wondered whether the walls were actually just painted black. She looked at the bindings around her wrists and ankles, focusing on the shackles on her wrists. She tried to tugging on them and twisting them but she couldn't get them open and her hands were too large to slip through the hole. Huffing in frustration, she ran her fingers through her hair and got to her feet.

She felt filthy. Her whole body was starting to shake from the effort of standing and the chill in the air. As her fingers dragged their way through her blonde locks, Amelia could feel the dirt and grease that was starting to build up. There were dried streaks of blood tangling strands together and as she looked down at her body she started to feel queasy. With a gasp, she turned around sharply and held her head as her eyes started to black out and her head swam. Regaining her balance, Amelia looked up at the red light that flashing up towards the ceiling. The camera that was filming her.

"You guys had better be listening to this…" she muttered. "Please… Please come and help me… We need to figure out what's going on… who this bastard is… I need your help…"

"You'll be lucky."

Screaming in shock, Amelia whirled round to face whoever had spoken to her. She could barely make out who was on the other side of the gate but their voice had been female. "Who's there?!"

"The other girls didn't get help, you won't either."

"Who the fuck are you?!"

"Believe me. You're not getting out of here alive."

Wanting to see the face of the woman who was condemning her, Amelia limped in an effort to get over to the gate. She couldn't get very close but through the darkness she could see the woman walking away. It was a small movement on the far edge of the room but she had definitely walked away.

"HEY! COME BACK!" Amelia yelled. "PLEASE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! WHY CAN'T YOU HELP ME?!"

* * *

><p>"There she is… That has to be here…" Lovina said, pointing ahead of her. Arthur turned around and looked in the direction the Italian woman was pointing, spotting who she meant instantly.<p>

Sat on a bench with a phone in her hands was a teenaged girl around nineteen years old. Her hair was black and her skin was tanned, on her head was a black beanie and around her neck was a black scarf dotted with sequins that glinted like stars. Her hands were gloved with black gloves; her thick coat was black as were her boots. Her tights were covered in the pattern of various nebulas. She looked sad as she stared at her phone, her eyes rimmed with black and purple makeup. By her feet were a couple of suitcases.

"That is definitely someone dressed as night…" Maria said. "Fuck, I want those tights…"

"Focus," Matthew sighed. He folded his arms and watched the girl. "She seems upset."

"Well, it did say _to save your girl, go help another_," Lovina said.

"_Earn forgiveness, Older Brother_," recited Matthew. He glanced at Arthur, the Brit looking right back at him and nodding his head in understanding. Matthew took a deep breath and wandered over to the girl. Startled, the girl looked up at him with wide cyan eyes that reminded Matthew too much of Amelia. He stopped in his tracks and looked at the girl apprehensively. "Uh, are… are you okay?"

The girl stared at him for a moment before getting to her feet. "Look, buddy… I've been hearing the stories. I've heard 'bout those girls that've been going missing and end up dead…"

"Oh Jeez…" Matthew muttered. "I'm not going to do anything to you. I've been told that someone out here needed my help and…"

"Wait. What's your name?"

"Matthew."

"Matthew…?"

"Williams."

The girl visibly relaxed. Matthew was confused. He glanced over his shoulder at the others who shrugged, perplexed expressions on their faces too. He looked back at the girl. She tilted her head.

"I've just moved to this city, you see, and my landlord is still getting my apartment set up so he's putting me up in a hotel for a couple of days. He didn't actually give me the right location though… I've been hearing all those damned reports and my friend Lucy told me that she's too busy to show me to the hotel but that you could! Well, she said Matt Williams would show me when he's done with talking to his sister. Uh, Amie, right?"

"…Right…"

"So can you help me out?" she smiled. "I'm Jenny, by the way. Jenny Gidney."

"Of course," Matthew said. "That's why I'm here! Which hotel are you staying in?"

"The Plaza Hotel," Jenny said. Matthew blanched again. She didn't notice. "Lucy told me the bus I was coming in on would stop me nearby but she had to go before she could tell me more and I've not been able to get hold of her since."

"If you've just moved here… Um… Where are your boxes? Like house stuff."

"My Mom and Dad are bringing them out to me when I'm finally into the apartment in a couple of days," Jenny smiled. "Now, come on. I don't want to linger in this park."

"Look, I'm not going to do anything but I just want to make sure… How do you know I won't? You're attitude towards me changed pretty quickly."

"She gave me a little description of you," Jenny shrugged. "I just needed to place a name to description. You fit. Now please can we get these to the hotel."

Matthew nodded and glanced back at Arthur, Maria and Lovina. They all looked very startled but hung back so that the girl couldn't see them. Matthew bent down and picked up one of her suitcases. Following behind them at a distance, Arthur watched the girl carefully. He had only been able to hear snippets of the conversation between her and Matthew but he hadn't liked the parts he had caught. Walking with Maria and Lovina, he hung back a little more so that Jenny wouldn't get suspicious.

"So this girl has a friend who has mysteriously disappeared in her time of need, she's staying in the exact same hotel as Amelia and this friend just so happened to know Matthew's name and appearance," Arthur said. "This is starting to get more and more interesting the deeper we get into it."

"Do you think this girl has any idea of what's going on at the moment? Amelia, I mean," Maria said. "She knows about the murders obviously, she spoke about it often enough but do you think that she's conspiring with the douchebag who has Amelia?"

"I don't know," Arthur replied. "She looks around Amelia's age so he's in this guy's victim pool. She doesn't seem the type to do something like this. She just seems like an ordinary college student."

"Then why is she suddenly moving to the city right now?" Lovina asked. "It's October, near on the middle of the semester."

"She may just be an innocent girl changing colleges and moving into a brand new city," Arthur said. "As much as I would really like a suspect, and she is definitely going on the list, I don't really think that she's involved. Maybe in some indirect way she is… like now, being used as a pawn in this bastard's game. But I don't think she has any idea who Matthew really is."

They waited on the corner when the pair finally arrived at the hotel, watching as Matthew handed the young lady her suitcase. She went into the hotel, leaving Matthew to wander back towards the group looking very drained. Maria wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the side of his head, giving Arthur a sideways glance to silently ask what to say. Arthur didn't have an answer though.

"She said thanks," Matthew said, holding onto Maria tightly. "She said nothing about Amelia or…"

"MATTHEW!"

The group blinked and looked round to see Jenny running out of the hotel. She had a piece of paper in her hand which she held out to him when she finally reached them. She nodded to the others but focused on Matthew alone.

"The guy behind the desk gave me this… But it's got your name on the inside and… I'm sorry."

As soon as the paper was out of her hands, Jenny ran back into the hotel. Matthew opened the piece of paper and froze.

"Mattie?"

"_Mister Williams, congratulations. You've earned forgiveness. From me at least. The young lady is quite important to me so I am glad that you got her to the hotel okay. Jenny, dear, if you're reading this please give the note to the man who escorted you to the hotel. Blonde, glasses, tall. Matthew Williams. Matthew, Jenny knows nothing. She isn't involved. She doesn't know me. Not really._

"_Now, on the matter of your sister, I'll see her again at three in the afternoon. Then again at eight in the evening. Your clues will be divided between the two viewings so all of you must be in front of the monitor at those times. The shows will be incredibly interesting, I assure you._

_I'll be sure to let your sister know you tried to help her. Maybe she'll forgive you. Maybe she'll die thinking you hate her. Who knows? It all depends on when you find her and if she can last until then. _

"_Until next time._"

"What the fuck…?" Maria muttered. Matthew handed her the note and leant back against the hotel wall. He let out a deep breath and watched the mist in the air. "Twice. Twice… Fuck, what are we going to do? Arthur, what are we going to do?!"

"We go back and wait for clues…" Arthur muttered. "That's all we can do… We have no more leads… and we need rest…"

"Yeah, but what about Amie?!"

"Maria, I don't want to sleep! I don't want to do anything until we get her home safe again, but at the moment we aren't in a position to do that! I want to find her more than anything else but we can't think straight if we're tired or not there to help find out the clues! We need to know what's happening to her…"

"I know…" she sighed. "I know… Come on… Let's get going, I'm sure my brother and the others are worried about us…"

* * *

><p><strong>So it's been a while since I've done an update, but that was work and the holidays fault! I was busy. But I've made it my mission for this year to finish these stories and update regularly so expect more variety in updates and stuff!<strong>

**I hope you all had a nice holiday season and good luck to anyone going back to school or work and stuff cos I know it sucks. **


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